Blood and the Sparrow
by A Lone Black Rose
Summary: CotBP-era Hector wasn't Jack's first mate, a witch named Jenny was. In the ten years since the Pearl was taken, they've been to hell and back together. Now, they face their greatest challenge yet, joining with old friends & fighting older enemies. JackxOC
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter One  
Old Friends Come to Call**

Dark clouds bellowed in the usually sapphire Caribbean sky as a lone figure fought through the dense foliage of the small island. She glanced up, indigo eyes taking in the charcoal sky, before sighing and retreating, occasionally stopping to gather a few leaves or other bits of fauna as she went. As she approached the small port town, she sheathed the dagger she had used on the plants and straightened up, her back popping in several places.

The few people who hadn't taken shelter in for the impending storm glared at her, backing away and hissing; she paid them no mind. About halfway down the street, a smelly glob of what must have been a mango at one point splattered against the side of her face, oozing into her ear, mouth and nostrils. Pausing, the young woman turned to the boy who had thrown it, carefully wiping the rotten fruit from her eye and fixing her gaze upon him. He visibly shrank under the cobalt stare, and was transfixed as she approached him. A hand went to the back of her belt, and he cowered, closing his eyes and fearing something awful.

"Here." The smooth voice coaxed a rebellious eye open, and he was startled to see a gleaming silver piece before him. The woman's gentle smile reassured him, and he gingerly took it, staring in disbelief.

"Next time, buy yourself a fresh one to eat, instead of wasting a rotten one on me." Without another word, she stood and walked away, globs of sour fruit still dripping in her wake. A small smile crept to her lips as she heard a soft 'Thank you' behind her.

It was that small token that allowed her to pass through the rest of the village, unhindered by the scathing words of the townsfolk. The hisses of 'witch,' 'Satan's spawn' and 'devil's whore' failed to phase her as she basked in the small happiness of the boy, a feeling which lasted until she reached her small cottage on the far end of the isle.

The sky opened up just as she reached the edge of her garden, bringing welcome relief to both her and her plants. She let her head fall back, her battered hat slipping from her as rain poured down. Gathering a handful of drops, she wiped the remains of the mango and its juice from her face and hair. Once done, she brushed her hands on her worn leather britches, swooping down to gather her hat before going inside her small hut.

The smell of herbs and potions greeted her as she shut the door, shivering slightly as the cool water made its way through her thin linen shirt. Moving towards the small straw bed in one corner, she hung the hat on a large nail protruding from the wall and peeling the soaking garment from her body, drying her arms and bound chest with a fairly clean rag before unbinding her breasts and leaving both the bindings and shirt before the empty fire grate. Slipping the less soiled of her two remaining shirts over her head, she gathered kindling and tinder, lighting them in the small cooking pit adjacent the bed.

As the fire roared to life, the illumination of a tall figure reclining in her only chair failed to surprise her, as did the deep voice that spoke soon after.

"'ello, Jenny." Gold teeth gleamed in the dim light as the man pushed himself up, the two airborne legs of the chair landing on the dirt floor with a thud. She smiled behind a curtain of dark hair, silently laughing at the use of the pet name.

"It's been a while, hasn't it Jack?" She turned to face him as he stood, grinning before enveloping her in a hug.

"Too long, dearie," the pirate responded as they pulled back, only to be jerked to a stop. They glanced down to see one of Jack's hair trinkets caught on a pearl pendant around Jenny's neck. Jack smiled, detangling the beads and the necklace, his fingers lingering on the latter; it was fairly small, an inch tall at best, and featured a graceful bird with blue diamond eyes, its wings cradling a large back pearl.

"I see you've kept it safe, luv," he said, looking back at her face but keeping a gentle hold on the pendant.

"Always." Seriousness was etched on her features, before a spark of humor found its way. "After all, I wouldn't want the 'great Captain Jack Sparrow' comin' after me hide, now would I?" she asked, teasingly imitating his accent.

"My dear Jenny, do I detect mockery in your voice?" The captain's eyes glinted with the answer. She pulled away, shooting him a sly smile as she walked to her small cupboard.

"Perhaps," was her only response. Turning her back on him, she removed everything from the dusty shelves, namely a stale hunk of bread and some hard cheese, along with two dirty pewter cups.

Turning back, she placed these on the table, taking two coconuts from her basket as well as a nail and a large stone. Aiming carefully, she drove the nail through the husk of the fruit before removing it and placing it hole-down on one of the cups.

"Would you care to join me for supper, Captain?" Jack frowned at the meager meal, feeling a curl of anger in his stomach. She deserved better then this…

"Jack?" A worried voice accompanied by equally worried eyes shook him from his thoughts.

"Wha-? Oh! Aye, luv. I would be honored." He gave a slight bow, succeeding in wiping the worry from her face. "Don' suppose you 'ave any rum stashed about, eh?"

A secretive smile danced across her lips, as she said "Check the bottom cupboard." Jack eyed the woman wearily before opening the door indicated and stopping in shock.

There, filling the small space, were several large bottles of high-quality rum as well as what looked like steaming meat pies. Shutting his jaw with an audible click, he turned to the woman now sitting on a small stool at the table, hacking away at the hard bread with a dull knife.

Upon seeing his reaction, she smiled. "I figured you'd be hungry, seeing as you're still a captain without a ship." Jack's features softened at this; it was so like her to do this. He stood, taking several of the pies, as well as a few bottles of rum, and set them on the table, pushing a few of the pies to her.

"Eat." Her face fell at his command.

"Jack, you know I can't do that. I can't use my magic for or on myself. Potions, yes, but not magic, nor things made from magic."

He frowned at her statement for a moment before a wicked grin spread across his face. "Aye, but you didn't make these for yeself, did you? So if I force you to eat one of my pies, then you ain't breaking the rules, now are you?"

There was a moment of silence before Jenny burst out laughing, widening the captain's grin. "Oh, you are incorrigible!" she cried between laughs.

"Pirate," was the only response as he dropped into the chair opposite her.

The remainder of the meal was spent in quiet banter as the two friends caught up with each other. After they finished, Jenny stood, taking the pewter flatware and putting it in a tub beside the door.

"You never said why you were here, Jack," she remarked, stoking the fire and adding more wood. The pirate stiffened slightly.

"Can't a bloke come t'see an old friend o' his?" he asked sheepishly. The woman before him smiled.

"If that 'bloke' is you, then it is possible, but highly unlikely."

"Ye caught me, luv. I intend sail my rickety dingy to Tourtuga, or the closest port there to, commandeer meself a proper ship, pick up a crew, then raid, pillage, plunder and otherwise pilfer me weasely black guts out." At this, Jack struck a pose, arms fisted on his hips, chest puffed out.

Jen stared at him for a moment before beginning to laugh, causing him to slump and his arms to fall.

"Oi, what d'you find so funny, lass?" Jack asked, his bruised pride evident in his voice.

She slowed, catching her breath before responding. "It's funny because I know you would do it."

He made a face akin to a pout before it melted into a cheeky grin.

"You know me too well Jenny."

Still smiling, she playfully jabbed him in the stomach and asked what his little plan had to do with her.

"Why I want you t'be me first mate, 'o course," he responded, grinning.

Jenny's smile evaporated and she stared at him in shock.

"You want me to be your first mate?" The captain nodded, hair trinkets tinkling. "Are you sure that's good idea, Jack?"

"'O course it is! You are, without a doubt, the best candidate for the job this pirate 'as ever seen. Yer smart, yer brave, you 'ave a nasty right hook in ya," he tenderly rubbed where she had struck him, earning a smile from the woman, "and, most importantly, I trust you more then I've ever trusted anyone in my entire life."

She looked away, not believing him, and he gently grasped her chin, forcing her to face him. With utter seriousness, he said, "I trust you with me life, Jenny."

"And yet I nearly cost you yours last time we were together." Her words were barely a breath, as if she feared that should she raise her voice, the trials which they had faced would come back to claim them.

"That, was not your fault, love." The pirate's voice was stern as he caught her eyes and held them. "Don't you ever forget that. You were an irreplaceable part of me crew, and I aim to keep you there in this, me latest endeavor."

She broke his grasp on her chin and turned from him, clutching the pearl pendant that hung from her neck.

"I-I need time to think, Jack."

He sighed, understanding. "You take all the time ye need, love," he replied before taking a seat, leaning the chair against the wall and pushing his hat over his eyes. The captain was asleep in moments.

Jenny silently exited the small cabin, coming to rest in the cool dampness of the night as it savored the last few drops of rain. Her gaze traveled up, searching for answers in the heavens, to find that there was a small parting in the clouds, through which peeked the Northern Star.

Tortuga was to the north.

"Is this truly what you wish of me?" she asked the star. Thunder rumbled in confirmation. Sighing, she sat on a flagstone that made the path.

"Then I guess I'm going to be a pirate again."


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter Two  
An Unfortunate Normalcy and A Strange Journey **

The Caribbean sun dawned hot and bright, burning away most of the remnants of the previous day's storm before mid-morning. Light pierced the small hut, prying between the lids of a man, refusing to be ignored, so Captain Jack Sparrow groaned as he unwillingly woke, sitting up from his slouched position. His back protested the movement as it popped loudly, spreading down his from his shoulders to the small of it.

He glanced blearily about the small cabin, searching for Jenny and was not terribly surprised to find her absent; she had often been awake before the rest of the crew, himself included, when they'd been shipmates.

The pirate remained seated, resigned to wait for the young woman, when she came rushing through the door, slightly out of breath, and slammed it behind her. Shouting could be heard from the other side, and she ducked as a knife imbedded itself in the door, piercing it just where her head had been. Jack shot up, hand going for his cutlass as he snarled at the unknown force beyond the door, fully intending to run the bastard through when Jenny pulled him down.

A hole blasted through the door near the knife and she shushed him, keeping a hand on his back to keep him down. The shouts eventually faded and she got up, helping him up and brushing dust off both of them.

"What was that about, Jenny?" Jack asked worriedly, checking her over for injuries.

She turned away quickly, avoiding his gaze. "Nothing, Jack."

He frowned at her, grasping her shoulders and turning her to face him. "Shooting at you and throwing knives 'ain't 'nothing' love," he said forcefully, shaking her a bit.

The sorceress wriggled out of his grasp, replying, "They're men from the village who fear me for being a magic user, nothing more." Her tone booked no room for retaliation; this was how it was, and he would leave it at that. Period. He scowled, but let it drop, choosing to broach the subject from the previous evening.

"'ave you decided whether to be me first mate, yet?"

She sighed, placing the basket of herbs she collected on the table. "I will come with you," the woman said slowly, "but are you sure that it's a good idea for me to be first mate?"

He gently grasped the woman's shoulders, turning her to face him. "I told ye before, luv; there ain't another soul I would rather 'ave watchin' me back then you."

A light blush painted her cheeks and she turned away to begin making breakfast.

Two hours later found the two pirates readying the 'ship' for departure; due to the state of the thing, this mainly consisted of draining it and re-tarring the hull to fill the numerous holes that littered the wood.

"Dare I ask who you purloined this masterpiece from, Captain?" Jenny asked, smirking as she wiped sweat and stray hair from her eyes after several hours of tarring.

He grinned almost sheepishly, and responded, "An old friend graciously donated it to me cause."

"Forget I asked…"

Eventually, they had repaired the boat to a point where it wouldn't sink the moment they stepped into it and set off north towards Tortouga. They spent hours talking, catching up on old times and conversing in a mixture of broken Italian (broken on Jack's part, Italian on Jenny's), English, and the strange native language of the island people who had made Jack their chief.

Soon enough, night fell and the silent question arose; who would take first watch.

"I'll take first watch," the sorceress offered, taking note of the darkness under Jack's eyes. The pirate made a motion to protest, but she cut him off. "Captain," she said, stressing the word, "I am perfectly capable of navigating this ship, or any other, for that matter, and you are quite obviously in need of a rest. Before last night, when was the last time you had any decent sleep?" Jenny asked accusingly.

Jack looked slightly sheepish for a moment before grumbling something that sounded suspiciously like 'four months ago.'

Jenny's eyes narrowed. "Precisely. Now, lay down and I'll keep watch. I'll wake you in a few hours to rotate."

The pirate showed serious signs of arguing the point until a yawn overtook him and he was forced to concede, reluctantly curling up on the small mound of sail scraps left from their mending. His hat was tilted over his eyes and within minutes soft snores drifted from beneath the rim.

Jenny sat still for a long time, simply watching him, before eventually muttering a few foreign words; a gentle breeze picked up in response to the prayer. To Jack, she sent a small spell to ease sleep.

"You're not alone, anymore. You do not have to spend your days watching the shadows and your nights with one eye open; I will aid you as best I can, my Captain, and I will protect you no matter the cost, my Jack."

Beneath his tri-corn, Jack Sparrow felt his heart swell in ways that it hadn't in the better part of a decade and tried to ignore the small tendril of worry that crept up his spine as sleep embraced him.

PAGEBREAK

The two pirates settled into a four shift rotation, only interrupted when one took the other's shift, (as they both did, not wanting to wake their companion) and three days later found both pirates awake and bailing the dingy out for the umpteenth time.

"Perhaps we should have spent more time tarring the hull, Captain," Jenny offered, her arms beginning to burn from the constant motion.

He gave a somewhat bashful grin, grunting, " Aye, yer probably right, love," as he dumped another bucket of water overboard.

"Shall I check for land, Jack? We're still days from Tortuga and I seriously doubt that this boat will survive that long." Jack nodded his assent and Jen grabbed the eye glass, swiftly climbing the rigging to look out over the blue.

"Land ho. It looks like we're heading to Jamaica; Port Royal is straight ahead," Jenny called down, taking the glass from her eye.

"How far out are we, Jen?" Jack asked, squinting at the small green smudge on the horizon.

"Far enough to do this without worry." She tucked the glass in her belt and began to chant, bringing her hands together in front of her chest. Jack recognised the gesture and brought a hand to his hat, holding in firmly in place and holding onto the mast as the wind picked up. The sails filled rapidly and soon they were speeding along, the smudge growing and becoming more defined.

A good while later, a sheer cliff towered over them and the winds slowed to the usual ocean breeze. After muttering the release, Jen descended shakily from the mast, slipping the last few feet into Jack's outstretched arms.

"Easy, Jenny. Jus' take a little rest an' let me do th' bailin' fer a bit," the pirate said, easing her down onto the driest of the benches. She made no move to protest, only inhaling deeply and closing her eyes as she caught her breath.

The captain continued to bail, keeping an eye on his first mate to ensure she was recovering. He paused only to take off his hat to a group of skeletons dangling from a stone arch, a sign baring the legend "Pirates Beware" gaming from the middle one. By this point, Jen had regained her strength to the point where she could stand fairly steady in the small boat and gazed at the boney figures.

"Well, that's new..." she muttered, snatching a bucket and dumping more water out of the boat.

Jack cocked a brow at her. "Ye've been 'ere before?" he asked, curiosity tinting his voice.

She nodded. "About eight years ago I was the governess of a noble's daughter. I stayed with the family for a few years before mysteriously vanishing one night on the beach." She sent the pirate a smirk at the last bit; he had been the one to show up on that moonlit night five {may be subject to change} years previous, finding her on the beach and convincing her to come away for another of his crazy adventures.

He smirked thoughtfully, "So this is th'island I found ye on last go'round..."

Jen resisted the urge to roll her eyes; Jack had to be the luckiest pirate on the bloody seas at times.

"Shall we focus on the task at hand, Captain?" she asked, dumping another bucket.

"An' wot would that be, Jen?"

"Getting to land without arousing suspicion."

He pondered for a moment before swiping the sorceress' hat and plopping his own on her head, smudging her face with dirt. Her hat promptly fell apart in his grasp.

She glanced up at the tri-corn and gave him an odd look; he _never_ relinquished his hat to anyone willingly.

"Tuck yer 'air int'that. With yer baggy clothes, ye won' get a second glance."

She sent him a smirk. "And what, prey tell, shall we be?" she asked; the docks were approaching.

"Jus' a couple 'a blokes. Now, up the mast, luv." Bailing had become futile by this point as more water rushed in then they could dump it out and the pirates quickly ascended the rigging, balancing on the beams.

They reached the dock just as their perch sank to it's level and Jack elegantly stepped off the mast, turning to check on his first mate. Jenny, falling into the part of ship-hand, clumsily jumped, stumbling to a halt on the planks.

They started towards shore, Jen grabbing a barrel and hefting it on her shoulder to blend in as the quartermaster approached.

"You, boy, take that to the Dauntless," he ordered the sorceress, barely looking at her. She grunted her acknowledgement and set off towards the largest boat moored.

Behind her, she heard Jack being stopped for payment and his small bribe, followed by his thieving. Jen shot a look over her shoulder as she lowered the barrel to the dock before walking towards town, silently beckoning Jack to follow her.

They fell into step with each-other and disappeared into the midday crowd. Once they were well into the market at the town centre, Jen turned into an ally and Jack followed, checking to be sure they were unobserved.

"I still have a few old strings I can pull here. I'll try to procure us lodging and supplies." She shot Jack a warning look. "Stay here and don't get into trouble."

The pirate feigned hurt, sending a wounded look at the sorceress. "When 'ave I not stayed out'o trouble, Jen?"

She snorted indelicately. "Do you want the first volume or the second? I believe I've written most of them down."

Jack laughed, sending a warm tingle down her spine, and gave his solemn oath to avoid trouble when he could. "I can make n'promises when trouble seeks me, 'owever," he added cheekily and danced away before she could draw her sword to whack him over the head with.

A reluctant chuckle escaped Jen's lips and she walked off towards the market, shaking her head as she went.

She spent a few minutes skirting the edges of the square, looking for a proper target before spotting a stuffy man with a powdered wing and a fat purse. The pirate smiled, swiftly approaching him from behind.

A small, sharp blade slipped into her palm, primed for use. At the precise moment, she stumbled into the man, cutting his purse string and muttering fervent apologies as she tipped her hat.

"Terribly sorry, guv'na," she offered gruffly, slipping the bag into the back of her sash with on hand as the other gripped the front of Jack's hat, tipping it subserviently.

"You'd better be, peasant," the man sneered, haughtily brushing nonexistent dirt off the shoulder she had hit.

The sorceress forced down a scowl and quickly made her exit, slipping into a group of dockhands moving away from the man.

She was a good ways away before she heard the angry shouts of her victim cursing the man foolish enough to rob him. And the pirate smiled.


End file.
